The Philippine Embassy in Oslo wishes to warn Filipino nurses and healthcare workers about misleading information currently circulating online and peddled by a growing number of “consultancy” firms about the supposed abundance and ease of finding nursing and other healthcare jobs in Norway.

Said consultancy firms make these unsuspecting Filipinos believe that getting a nursing or healthcare job in Norway is easy, advertising misleading information such as “NO IELTS and/or PRC License needed” among other gimmicks, when in truth, it is not easy to find work as a foreign nurse or healthcare worker in Norway.

While it is true that IELTS is not required by most health care employers in Norway, this is only because English is not the primary language used by the country and its healthcare sector. Instead, foreign nurses and healthcare practitioners wishing to work in Norway have to pass a different and much harder Norwegian language exam and take other exams in order to be deemed employable as a nurse or healthcare worker in Norway and to do so requires that the Filipino be ready to spend a large amount for his or her tuition for further studies, board and lodging, etc. while in Norway.

And while a PRC license may not be needed for the processing of one’s visa application, said license is still required by relevant authorities in Norway in order for a foreign healthcare worker to be properly recognized as such in Norway.

Moreover, these Filipino nurses and healthcare practitioners should be advised that authorization from SAK (Statens Autorisasjons-Kontor) or the relevant Norwegian government authority does not equal work or employment nor is it equal to a nursing license. It merely recognizes that the Filipino has the qualifications of a healthcare worker, nothing more. Authorization/Autorisasjon does not equal work. Authorization/Autorisasjon is not equal to a nursing license in Norway.

Another alarming aspect about the proliferation of these consultancy firms is that they charge these unsuspecting Filipinos with, often, large sums of money for information and services that the Filipino can actually obtain for free and do by himself or herself if the latter only consulted the appropriate websites (i.e. Norwegian Embassy, SAK, etc.).

The Embassy has reported this alarming situation to the DFA and DOLE and it has handled several cases involving victimized Filipino nurses and healthcare workers who have been duped by these unscrupulous consultancy firms. Said Filipinos usually arrive in Norway without an employer and sometimes without even a place to stay. Most are deeply in debt and have no means to fund their stay in Norway, which is one of the most expensive countries in the world. Their situation makes them vulnerable to further abuse and victimization.

It is not easy to find work as a foreign nurse or healthcare worker in Norway.

While the Philippine government is working hard to address this matter, the Philippine Embassy is enjoining the Filipino Community in Norway to help spread this advisory and warn Filipinos about these unscrupulous consultancy firms and the false information currently being spread by the latter.

Moreover, related to this matter, the Embassy also wishes to reiterate its previous warning about various unlicensed, unaccredited and informal Norwegian Language Schools/Courses proliferating in the Philippines, enticing many Filipino professionals, especially nurses, to pay unreasonable fees for language classes that are staffed by unlicensed and/or untrained teachers for the chance to land well-paying jobs that are supposedly awaiting the student in Norway upon completion of the language course.

The Embassy wishes to warn the public of the pitfalls of falling prey to these unaccredited schools and agents. The Norwegian Government has not accredited, licensed or recognized any Norwegian Language School/Course operating in the Philippines for profit nor does it deal or cooperate with any agent or agency. The Norwegian Embassy has released several warnings about said schools and agents such as the link below and encourages visa applicants to go to the Norwegian Embassy directly.

Filipinos who have fallen victim to these Philippine Norwegian Language schools arrive in Norway expecting to immediately find work only to discover that further Norwegian language courses are needed at additional expense and that the visa issued to them by the Norwegian Embassy is not enough time for them to finish the needed language courses and find a job. This makes them vulnerable to abuse and human trafficking.

Filipino professionals wishing to practice their profession in Norway should equip themselves with the proper information by visiting trusted information sources such as Norwegian government websites (Norwegian Embassy in Manila, Norwegian Labor & Welfare Organization or NAV, Norwegian Registration Authority for Health Personnel or SAK, etc.) to avoid falling victims to human trafficking and so as to be in full control of their professional future.